Award-winning thespian Bongile Mantsai has joined Mzansi Magic’s telenovela Gqeberha: The Empire. From 20 November, he will be paying the role of Luzuko Mxenge’s (played by Mbulelo Grootboom) younger brother, Hlumelo Mxenge, who can be described as ‘a wolf in sheep’s clothing with a horrifying God complex and more to prove than to lose’.
Hlumelo is a charismatic, confident man and the quintessential dyan, with an infectious playful energy and a mean streak. Luzuko reaches out to his brother in a time of need, but a tragic turn of events presents Hlumelo with one of his deepest desires. He is ready to manipulate, lie, cheat and even spill blood to keep the Mxenge empire.
Bongile made his TV debut with a lead role on the Mzansi Magic coming-of-age drama series Nkululeko in early 2018 playing Poncho. He won a SAFTA for Best Supporting Actor in the internationally acclaimed movie Inxeba: The Wound. He joined e.tv’s Scandal! to play the villainous Mthuzi Mayiza, a role that won him a SAFTA for Best Actor in a TV Soap in 2020.
He’s had a leading role on the SABC 1 drama series Identity playing policeman Melusi who became a most wanted criminal after a tragic turn of events and on Mzansi Magic’s Grootboom & Sons as Mbulelo. In 2022 he was the lead in the second season of Mzansi Magic’s The Republic and the Showmax fantasy drama Blood Psalms, where he played Hlengu, who he described as “barbaric and intimidating” when the show first debuted.
Gqeberha: The Empire airs weeknights at 9 PM on DStv channel 161.
Discover more from Emphasy! Magazine
Subscribe to get the latest posts to your email.